Diminutive Jerry Barber defeated Don January, 67-68, on today’s date in an 18-hole playoff in 1961 at Olympia Fields Country Club to win the PGA Championship. Also on this day in 1983, the U.S. Women’s Open concluded at Cedar Ridge C.C. in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with Australian Jan Stephenson winning her third major title, winning by one shot over fan favorite JoAnne Carner and Patty Sheehan. The winning score was six over par.
With Padraig Harrington the recent winner of the Senior Open Championship, today we note a couple related milestones. On this date in 2006, the Senior Open Ch. was won by American Loren Roberts in a playoff at Turnberry over Eduardo Romero of Argentina. Roberts’ nickname is The Boss of the Moss for his putting expertise. And one of the great characters in golf, Scotland’s Brian Barnes, won the 1995 Senior Open Championship on this date at Royal Portrush Golf Club in a playoff over American Bob Murphy.
On this date in 1956, Kathy Cornelius won the U.S. Women’s Open, the fourth run by the USGA, at Northland Country Club with Cornelius winning over Barbara McIntire, an amateur, by seven shots in an 18-hole playoff. Also, on this day in 1934, Little Poison, aka Paul Runyan, defeated Craig Wood, 1 up, in the final of the PGA Championship at the Park Club of Buffalo, New York. Runyan was diminutive in size but made up for a lack of length with a dynamite short game and pinpoint fairway woods. He would take down Sam Snead four years later.
On this date in 1987, England’s Laura Davies broke the hearts of JoAnne Carner fans when she won an 18-hole playoff for the U.S. Women’s Open that included Ayako Okamoto at Plainfield CC. Davies shot 71, Okamoto 73 and Carner 74. American Carner was 48 and by far the sentimental favorite. On this date in 1957 Arnold Palmer shot a fourth-round 69 at the Eastern Open to finish in a tie for 8th; in 1984, he shot 68-66 in the Golf Digest Commemorative Pro-Am for third place.
Padraig Harrington takes a two-stroke lead into today’s final round of the ISPS Handa Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale. On this date in 2003, one of the most successful links players in golf history, Tom Watson, won the Senior Open, taking down England’s Carl Mason in a playoff at Turnberry. Watson parred the second playoff hole to defeat Mason for his 10th career major victory. Watson shot a six-under-par 64 but bogeyed the last hole of regulation.
Yesterday Padraig Harrington took the second-round lead at the Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale. On this date in 2009, the U.S.’s Loren Roberts won the same championship for the second time, also at Sunningdale, earning it in a playoff with Mark McNulty and Fred Funk. On this date in 1981, Pat Bradley won the U.S. Women’s Open at LaGrange Country Club in Illinois, winning by one over Beth Daniel. Bradley scored nine under par for 72 holes.
On this date in 1997, nine-time major champion and swing icon Ben Hogan died at the age of 84. Also, Arnold Palmer won the 1948 Sunnehanna C.C. Inv. on this date, and in 1966, Donald (Doc) Giffin began as Arnold’s personal assistant on this date. Arnie also won the 1971 Westchester Cl. on July 25. Also, on this date in 1982, Janet Anderson won the U.S. Women's Open with a six-shot margin over four players: Beth Daniel, Donna White, JoAnne Carner and Sandra Haynie. Anderson was five under par for four rounds at Del Paso Country Club in Sacramento, California.
Don January won a playoff on this date in 1967 to take the PGA Championship at Columbine Country Club in Columbine Valley, Colorado, a suburb south of Denver. January defeated Don Massengale in an 18-hole playoff, 69-71. Also, the ISPS Handa Senior Open Championship is being competed this weekend at Sunningdale’s Old Course. On this date in 2005, Tom Watson won his second of three Senior Open titles, at Royal Aberdeen, winning in a playoff with Des Smyth of Ireland. Arnold Palmer shot a one-over 73 in 1964 on this date at a Green Valley exhibition in Sioux City, Iowa. And in 1998, Palmer shot a second-round 76 to make the U.S. Senior Open cut for the final time (finished 51st).
On this date in 1995, John Daly won the Open Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, easily handling Italian Costantino Rocca by four shots in a four-hole playoff. Daly had 15 strokes on par-4 holes 1, 2, 17, 18 to Rocca’s 19. Two days earlier Arnold Palmer had made his final Open appearance. And this was the lone Open ever attended by website writer Cliff Schrock. Also, the Open Championship ended on this date in 1989 in the first four-hole aggregate playoff ever contested for golf’s oldest major, held for the 118th time, at Royal Troon in Scotland. Mark Calcavecchia won over Wayne Grady and Greg Norman.
On this date in 1984, the iconic moment in Seve Ballesteros’ career took place at the Open Championship at St. Andrews when he birdied the 18th hole and won the title by two shots over Tom Watson and Bernhard Langer. Watson was trying for a third straight victory but left it out on the greens with an off putting day, and a bogey on the Road Hole 17th after a good drive dashed his chances. It was a remarkable battle of titans, and some speculate the outcome contributed to Watson’s inability to win another major in his prime years. On another moment, on this date in 1971, Arnold Palmer opened with a 64 at the Westchester Cl., and would go on to win the $50,000 top prize.
On this date in 1995, Arnold Palmer played his final Open Ch., missing the 36-hole cut at The Old Course. In 1985, Sandy Lyle won the Open Championship at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England. He shot two over par overall and won by one shot over Payne Stewart, and three years later Lyle would win the Masters. This date in golf history also marks two key events in PGA Championship history. In 1957, Lionel Hebert defeated Dow Finsterwald, 2 and 1, in the final PGA played at match play, at Miami Valley Golf Club. In 1968, 48-year-old Julius Boros won at Pecan Valley, the oldest winner of a major until Phil Mickelson broke it in 2021. If Tom Watson had won the 2009 Open Championship, he would have smashed the age record at 59. And in 1970, 700 people, including Stan Musial, Joseph C. Dey, Dave Marr, Deacon Palmer, and Pa. Governor Raymond Shafer, attended a Pittsburgh dinner to honor Arnold Palmer as the AP Athlete of the Decade.
On this date in 1980, Tom Watson won his third Open Championship, a four-stroke victory over Lee Trevino at Muirfield Golf Club. Regarding a different major, on this date in 1958, history was made for the PGA Championship and Dow Finsterwald. It was the first year the PGA was competed at stroke play after previously played at match play. Finsterwald, a close friend of Arnold Palmer’s who was almost exactly the same age, won by two shots over Billy Casper at Llanerch C.C. in Havertown, Pennsylvania. It was also the first PGA Palmer played and he tied for 40th.
On this date in 1981, The 110th Open Championship was won by Bill Rogers at Royal St. George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England. Rogers’ only major championship was won by four strokes over runner-up Bernhard Langer. On this date in 1964, Bobby Nichols won the PGA Championship at Columbus Country Club, winning start to finish and foiling the efforts of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, who finished second by three shots. Palmer had shot four rounds in the 60s, including a final-round 69, but it wasn’t good enough against Nichols. In a moment of Palmer personal resilience, on this date in 1997, Arnie shot his first under-par round since prostate-cancer surgery, a two-under 70 at the Burnet Sr. Cl.
Louis Oosthuizen got off to a slow start in the first round of the Open at Royal Portrush yesterday with a 77. On this date 15 years ago he won The Open at St. Andrews by seven shots. Also on this date in 1982, Tom Watson won his fourth Open Championship, by one shot over a faltering Nick Price and Peter Oosterhuis, at Royal Troon. On this date in 1988, Seve Ballesteros won his third Open Championship, edging Nick Price by two at Royal Lytham and St. Annes. Seve shot 65 to beat the 54-hole leader Price. The championship was forced to finish on a Monday for the first time ever due to heavy rain on Saturday.
On this date in 1983, Tom Watson repeated as Open Championship winner, winning by a shot at Royal Birkdale over Hale Irwin and Andy Bean. It was Watson’s fifth Open but his last, and eighth, major victory at the age of 33; he fell flat at the end the following year at St. Andrew but was edged out by Seve Ballesteros. And Watson couldn’t close the deal in several close finishes in majors afterward. On this date in 1954, Arnold Palmer won the Ohio Amateur, and in 1970, Arnie hosted “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” with guests Spiro Agnew and Rod Laver.
It’s been 12 years already since Australian Adam Scott, he of the picture-perfect swing, won the Masters for his first major victory. He is running out of prime years to win more but nearly got the job done for major No. 2 at this year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont.. On this date he celebrates his 45th birthday. Flawless as a ball striker, Scott has been held back in his career with inconsistent putting. Perhaps the slower greens at the Open Championship this week at Royal Portrush will help him. One of the most astounding results in golf history occurred on this date in 1938 when diminutive 1934 winner Paul Runyan beat the mighty Sam Snead, 8 and 7, in the PGA Championship final at Shawnee Country Club.
Arnold Palmer won the first of his two straight Open Championships on this date in 1961 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in England. Arnie had lost by a shot in 1960 at St. Andrews, but he was ahead by one this time, with Dai Rees in second. And at age 21, Bobby Jones won his first of four U.S. Opens on this date in 1923 when he beat Bobby Cruickshank in a playoff, 76-78, at Inwood C.C. in New York. And on July 15, 1948, Palmer played Round 1 of the Dapper Dan Club as an invitational, and would finish 72 holes. A
Tom Weiskopf, who valiantly tried to get an edge on fellow Ohioan Jack Nicklaus in his career, won his only major on this date in 1973 when he led from start to finish at the Open Championship played at Royal Troon in a 12-under-par performance, three ahead of Johnny Miller and four up on Jack.
On this date in 1962, Arnold Palmer won a second consecutive Open Championship, at Royal Troon, in dominating fashion in a six-shot victory over Australian Kel Nagle. On this date in 1937, Charles Coody was born in Stamford, Texas. The 6-foot-2 Texan won the 1971 Masters, winning while occasionally tugging on his socks, a nervous habit of his.
On this day in 1969, Tony Jacklin ended an 18-year drought by an English golfer when he won the Open Championship by two shots at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Jacklin shot four under par to beat Bob Charles. of New Zealand. On this date in 1964, the greatest woman player of all time, Mickey Wright, won the U.S. Women's Open at San Diego C.C. for her fourth title, beating Ruth Jessen in a playoff.